United We Stand
by WolfSiege
Summary: "Everstar, Ravenstar, Sandstar, Wispstar, are you aware of the old legends?" The starry black cat asked, sitting and wrapping his tail around his paws. "Of course, the ones that tell of four magical cats protecting the Clans from war, but who would believe them?" The black cat smiled. "But what if they were to return?"
1. Prologue and Alliances

**Hello guys! I know, you're probably like "What the hell happened to The Legend of StormClan?". Before you ask, no, I did not ditch it! However, I'm putting it on hiatus 'cause I lost my muse to write the next chapter... W So, I'm bringing you a newish story, which you prolly won't care less about, that I found while searching through my flash drive. It's a few months old, but I really liked the plot of it! ^^ **

**Original title, right? United We Stand! God, bet that's never been used before... ^^; *brick'd)**

**What, don't look at me. Here I was uploading this and then I was like "Oh SHI-! It needs a title! D8"... so yea. Me no gusta the title... but hey... it was the first thing I thought of... xD**

**Actually, no it's not. There were worse things... like "The Elements Are Bound", "Never Back Down", "Never Will We Fall", and "Veni, Vidi, Vici" xDDD (applause to you if you know what that means!)**

**Ehm, yes, so enough of my rambling... I should get cracking on Chapter One now while you read this piece of cra- I mean, this awesome-sause introduction... *nervous laugh***

**Just a small warning, the chapters may turn out to be rather long... which might be a disappointment to some considering this prologue is a short, half-assed little thing... *twiddles thumbs and whistles*.**

**Anyway, enjoy! ^^**

* * *

**Prologue**

"Everstar, Ravenstar, Sandstar, Wispstar, are you aware of the old legends?"

The four leaders stood before the pitch-black cat whose pelt was littered with gleaming stars.

The white she-cat with pine green eyes, Everstar, stepped forward first, narrowing her eyes and flattening her ears in defiance. "Of course. The old legends that speak of the cats with magical powers who kept balance between the Clans."

The starry black cat nodded in approval, but behind Everstar, a dark gray tom with a lighter chest, tail, and paws, Ravenstar, sighed and rolled his eyes. "Those stupid legends are kit's tales. We've all heard them from the elders when we were younger, but they're _not_ true. I didn't believe them for a minute. I mean, who would? Everyone knows that Clans have been at war since they were formed."

The black StarClan cat glared at Ravenstar. "Is that so?" he rasped. "As if you were there?"

Ravenstar snorted. "No, but I don't need to be. I mean, who ever heard of a cat with the power to control the earth, or water? I doubt even a kit would believe such mouse dung."

A silver tom with scarlet eyes walked up to join Ravenstar. However, he held an unsure look on his face. "I don't know Ravenstar. I'm not sure you should be dejecting this cat's words."

Ravenstar whipped around to glare at him. "Hush Wispstar. Like you believe him?"

Wispstar shrugged. "I'm not saying I do or don't, but…" he trailed off.

A cream colored she-cat pushed between the two and locked her blue eyes with the StarClan cat's pure white ones. "Why have you called us here in the first place?" she meowed, the slightest hint of impatience in her voice.

The starry black tom was obviously annoyed with the four Clan leaders. "You are all about to be in for a big surprise if this is how you respect your past."

"What are talking about?" Everstar asked, flicking an ear.

"I shall not say." He narrowed his eyes and glared darkly at Ravenstar. "And a word of advice, I'd be a bit more respectful if I were you."

The dark tom scoffed and rolled his green eyes. "Whatever. Why should you care?"

The StarClan cat locked his eyes with Ravenstar's, who stepped back slightly. "Because I am a StarClan cat who knows much more than you ever will. I can see your destiny, and you might not like it."

There was a brief silence and all four leaders looked wonderingly at the black tom.

"Ahem, times are about to change. Tensions between the Clans will rise, and four must face the paws of fate to set peace between them once again. Remember my words wise… or not so wise… ones. We watch over from the stars, but cannot change your fates. Return to your Clans, but speak no word of this to anyone. Not even your medicine cat. It must remain secret. Do you understand?" He scanned the four leaders through slitted eyes, his ears flattened and his image already beginning to fade.

The four leaders nodded, even Ravenstar, though his nod was very half-hearted.

"Good. Now farewell. I'm positive we will meet again."

And as his image began to fade, a brisk breeze swept through the area and the leaders began to lose consciousness as they were returned to their Clans and dawn began to rise.

* * *

** S**

**EarthClan**

**Leader- **Everstar- Small white she-cat with pine green eyes

**Deputy- **Shypebble- Quite pale gray tabby tom with mint green eyes and white paws

**Medicine Cat**- Snowstorm- White she-cat with black ears and paws and ice blue eyes | Apprentice-Moonpaw

Warriors-

Leafclaw- Brown tabby tom with leaf green eyes | Apprentice-Darkenedpaw | Mate- Swanfeather

Cobrafang- Dark gray tom with black ears, paws, and tail | Mate- Shimmertail | Kits- Stonekit, Slatekit, and Ribbonkit

Eclipsedfur- Black she-cat with lighter splotches and purple eyes | Apprentice- Aurorapaw

Morningdew-Black and white tabby she-cat with amber eyes | Apprentice- Shiningpaw | Kits- Aurorapaw and Rainpaw | Mate- Runningriver

Runningriver- Blue-gray tom with white chest and light brown eyes | Apprentice- Rainpaw | Kits- Aurorapaw and Rainpaw | Mate- Morningdew

Whisperheart- Fluffy black, white, and gray calico she-cat with dull green eyes

Radiantfur- Sleek silver tabby she-cat with glittering ice blue eyes

Crystaleyes- White she-cat with darker tabby stripes and crystal clear eyes of blue | Kits- Shiningpaw, Darkenedpaw, and Moonpaw | Mate- Burninglight (Deceased)

**Apprentices-**

Shiningpaw- Pale orange tom with a white stripe down his back and yellow eyes | Mentor- Morningdew | Siblings- Moonpaw and Darkenedpaw | Parents- Crystaleyes and Burninglight (Deceased)

Aurorapaw- Black she-cat with sky blue eyes | Mentor- Eclipsedfur | Sibling- Rainpaw | Parents- Runningriver and Morningdew

Darkenedpaw- Rust colored tom with dark brown eyes and a white tail tip | Mentor- Leafclaw | Siblings- Moonpaw and Shiningpaw | Parents- Crystaleyes and Burninglight (Deceased)

Rainpaw- Blue-gray tabby she-cat with bright green eyes | Mentor- Runningriver | Sibling- Aurorapaw | Parents- Runningriver and Morningdew

Moonpaw- White she cat with light gray speckles and very pale blue eyes | Mentor- Snowstorm | Siblings- Shiningpaw and Darkenedpaw | Parents- Crystaleyes and Burninglight (Deceased)

**Queens**-

Shimmertail- Pale tan tabby with vibrant green eyes and darker chest and tail stripes | Kits- Stonekit, Slatekit, and Ribbonkit | Mate- Cobrafang

Swanflight- Very pale gray long-hair with very light sky blue eyes | Mate- Leafclaw

**Kits-**

Stonekit- Mud colored tom with grass colored eyes | Siblings- Slatekit and Ribbonkit | Parents- Shimmertail and Cobrafang

Slatekit- Light gray she-cat with steely blue eyes | Siblings- Stonekit and Ribbonkit | Parents- Shimmertail and Cobrafang

Ribbonkit- Light gray tabby she-cat with orange eyes | Siblings- Stonekit and Slatekit | Parents- Shimmertail and Cobrafang

~.~

**WaterClan**

**Leader- **Sandstar- Cream colored she-cat with blue-green eyes

**Deputy-** Cloudchaser- Light gray tom with darker flecks and silver eyes

**Medicine Cat- **Honeyfeather- Honey colored she-cat with emerald colored eyes | Apprentice- Violetpaw

**Warriors-**

Deathbringer- Huge blacker-than-night tom with pale gold eyes | Apprentice- Greenpaw

Saltclaw- Dull gray tom with black points and pale blue eyes | Apprentice- Lightpaw | Mate- Sweetclover | Kits- Lightpaw and Greenpaw | Father- Whitetail | Sister- Belltail

Lightsparks- Light yellow colored she-cat with honey colored eyes

Shellheart- Fluffy dark gray tom with lighter tabby stripes and pale red eyes

Treasurehunter- Golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Geckofoot- Reddish tom with lime green eyes | Apprentice-Applepaw

Fallenleaves- Brownish-red tom with yellow eyes and darker tabby stripes

Sweetclover- Pale tabby she-cat with darker stripes and sky blue eyes | Kits- Lightpaw and Greenpaw | Mate- Saltclaw

Rainstrike- Storm-cloud colored tom with light blue eyes | Mate- Belltail | Kits- Tawnykit, Seakit, and Swiftkit

**Apprentices-**

Violetpaw- Pale brown she-cat with violet eyes | Sister- Applepaw | Mentor- Honeyfeather

Greenpaw- Sand colored tom with leaf colored eyes | Parents- Sweetclover and Saltclaw | Mentor- Deathbringer | Sister- Lightpaw

Applepaw- Tree-bark colored she-cat with pale red eyes | Sister- Violetpaw | Mentor- Geckofoot

Lightpaw- Cream colored she-cat with amber eyes | Parents- Sweetclover and Saltclaw | Mentor- Saltclaw

**Queens-**

Belltail- Dark gray she-cat with yellow eyes and lighter points | Mate- Rainstrike | Kits- Tawnykit, Seakit, and Swiftkit | Brother- Saltclaw | Father- Whitetail

**Kits-**

Tawnykit- Light blue-gray she-kit with darker spots | Parents- Belltail and Rainstrike | Siblings- Seakit and Swiftkit

Seakit- Distinctively colored blue-gray she-kit with lighter points | Parents- Belltail and Rainstrike | Siblings- Tawnykit and Swiftkit

Swiftkit- Dark gray tom with very pale gray patches | Parents- Belltail and Rainstrike | Siblings- Tawnykit and Seakit

**Elders-**

Whitetail- Longhaired snow-white tom with bright yellow-green eyes | Kits- Belltail and Saltclaw

~.~

**AirClan**

**Leader- **Ravenstar- Dark gray tom with lighter chest, paws, and tail, and sea-green eyes

**Deputy- **Cedarfrost- Mainly white tom with large dark brown splotches and reddish-brown eyes | Mate- Marbledsky | Kits- Switchkit and Spiritkit

**Medicine Cat- **Frozendew- Very pale gray she-cat with dark splotches and pale mint-green eyes

**Warriors-**

Oakfall- Brown tabby tom with amber eyes and white underbelly | Mate- Emberstep | Kits- Scarabpaw and Dawnpaw

Onyxclaw- Huge pitch black tom with stunning ice blue eyes | Apprentice- Scarabpaw

Poisonivy- Small gray and white tabby she-cat with bright green eyes

Lynxtail- Bob-tailed dusky brown she-cat with black ears and amber eyes

Emberstep- Dark gray she-cat with orange feet, tail, and ears and bright orange eyes | Mate- Oakfall | Kits- Scarabpaw and Dawnpaw | Apprentice- Dawnpaw

Echopool- Blue-gray she-cat with sand colored tabby stripes

Blizzardtail- White tom with slightly darker tail with even darker stripes and blue eyes | Sister- Avalanchepath | Mate- Snowtiger | Kits- Mistkit, Orchidkit, and Pepperkit

Avalanchepath- White she-cat with darker paws, ears, and tail | Brother- Blizzardtail

**Apprentices-**

Scarabpaw- Bronze colored tom with bright blue eyes | Parents- Oakfall and Emberstep | Sister- Dawnpaw

Dawnpaw- Pale cream colored she-cat with ginger tail tip and paws and reddish brown eyes | Parents- Oakfall and Emberstep | Brother- Scarabpaw

**Queens-**

Snowtiger- White she cat with very pale gray face, ears, and paws, black tabby stripes, ice blue eyes | Mate- Blizzardtail | Kits- Mistkit, Orchidkit, Pepperkit

Marbledsky- Marbled cream, white, and light brown she-cat with golden eyes | Mate- Cedarfrost | Kits- Switchkit, and Spiritkit

**Kits-**

Mistkit- Very pale gray she-cat with gray eyes and white paws | Parents- Snowtiger and Blizzardtail | Siblings- Orchidkit and Pepperkit

Orchidkit- Gray tabby she-cat with pale violet eyes | Parents- Snowtiger and Blizzardtail | Siblings- Mistkit and Pepperkit

Pepperkit- White tom with black brindle markings and blue eyes | Parents- Snowtiger and Blizzardtail | Siblings- Mistkit and Orchidkit

Switchkit- Soft tan she-cat with brown marble tabby markings, a single white paw, and green eyes | Parents- Marbledsky and Cedarfrost | Brother- Spiritkit

Spiritkit- Dark cream tom with light brown patches and amber eyes | Parents- Marbledsky and Cedarfrost | Sister- Switchkit

~.~

**FireClan**

**Leader- **Wispstar- Silver tom with intimidating scarlet eyes

**Deputy- **Nightbound- Black bobtail she-cat with blue gray tabby stripes and a white under belly, paws, and muzzle, orange eyes

**Medicine Cat**- Kestreltail- Pale tom with darker stripes and a white muzzle, light brown eyes | Apprentice- Palmpaw

**Warriors-**

Eternalblaze- Dark ginger tom with orange eyes and white ears | Mate- Cheetahwing | Kits- Palmpaw and Acornpaw

Morningpoppy- Gray she-cat with mottled dark back and pale blue-gray eyes

Spiteheart- Light blue-gray she-cat with dull white chest and amber eyes

Polarice- Pale gray she-cat with darker hind-stripes and pale ice blue eyes

Cheetahwing- Dark cream she-cat with black cheetah spots and green eyes | Mate- Eternalblaze | Kits- Palmpaw and Acornpaw

Sneakshadow- Black tom with white merle markings and amber eyes

Jayblaze- Gray tom with ginger paws, tail, muzzle, and ears

Spectrumgaze- Dark gray tom with tri-colored green eyes | Apprentice- Acornpaw

**Apprentices-**

Palmpaw- Pale brown tabby tom with leaf green eyes and white forepaw | Parents- Cheetahwing and Eternalblaze | Brother- Acornpaw

Acornpaw- Brown tom with lighter brown eyes | Parents- Cheetahwing and Eternalblaze | Brother- Palmpaw

**Queens- **

Songbird- Fluffy orange tabby she-cat with lighter chest with emerald green eyes | Mate- Sneakshadow | Kits- Firekit and Feverkit

**Kits-**

Flamekit- Ginger tom with amber eyes

Feverkit- Orange she-cat with lighter tabby stripes and emerald green eyes


	2. EC Breath of Life

**Sup bros? This got uploaded a lot faster than I expected... though there are probably some mistakes near the end cause I got lazy and sick of typing xDD So yeah, here's Chapter One... And to be honest, this was a bit longer than expected. **

**Hmm... I'm thirst but don't feel like grabbing some water... Cause I'm that lazy... I also want some brownies...**

**FFFF I better stop rambling right now or you'll be stuck reading another 1,000 words of a freaking pointless Author's Note...**

* * *

**Chapter One: Breath of Life**

The night was quiet and still, not so much as a gentle breeze blowing through. The silence was eerie, and almost unbearable; not a soul dared to speak, nonetheless move. The ground underpaw was cold and firm, and the blades of green grass were tinged with frost. Cold, biting air chilled most cats to the bone, but the tom in the center of the clearing didn't take any notice of it. His yellow-green gaze was focused on the base of a large tree that appeared to be hollow, with an opening covered by a curtain of vines and moss.

The gray tom didn't dare to breathe, his worried, unblinking green gaze focusing on that curtain of green like his life depended on it. The cold chilled him to the bone, but he didn't seem to notice, or he didn't seem to care. His clan mates sat in the undergrowth, curious as well as the wait drifted into its third hour. Some of the cats seemed to give up hope as they let out quiet sighs and turned, padding softly away.

And then, the silence was shattered by a pained yowl, and the pelt of every cat in the clearing stood on end. The gray tom leaped to his paws and shuffled forward, his heart thudding in his chest.

The curtain parted and a white she cat padded out to meet him half way. "Congratulations Cobrafang," she whispered softly, turning and walking with him towards the hollow tree. "Three healthy kits."

Cobrafang couldn't help but smile as he pushed his way through the curtain of vines and padded into the warm, dry nursery.

In the corner lay a pale tan tabby queen with three mewling kits already suckling at her belly. The tom padded up to her. "Shimmertail," he breathed softly, sitting down beside her. "We were afraid you didn't make it."

Shimmertail gave a weak smile. "You'd loose hope that easily? You had nothing to worry about," she assured him quietly as she allowed her mate to lick between her ears.

Cobrafang looked up to the white medicine cat. "Thank you Snowstorm," he mewed. "You're the greatest medicine cat EarthClan has ever known.

Snowstorm smiled and bowed her head. "It was an honor. Your kits are such beautiful ones."

Cobrafang watched as she silently left, not another word spoken between them. He stared at the swinging curtain of vines and listened to the joyful mews from outside for a moment longer before turning back to his mate.

"Have you decided on names?" he asked her.

Shimmertail shook her head softly. "No, I was going to see what you had in mind."

Cobrafang looked down at the kits wrestling to get to their mother's milk. His gaze rested on a mud colored tom who was slightly larger than the rest. "Stonekit," he meowed. "The tom will be Stonekit."

The queen purred with pride and nuzzled the tom with her nose. "What a perfect name, little Stonekit."

The mud colored kit mewled in response, as if agreeing with him name, and Shimmertail looked back up to her mate. "And the she-kits?" she asked.

The father watched his daughters for a few a heartbeats, then swung his head to his mate, locking his yellow-green gaze with hers. "You should decide," his tail twitched behind him.

The weak queen nodded. "Very well." She looked down at her she-kits, studied them carefully. First she looked at the solid light gray kit. Then she gave a soft nod. "She shall be Slatekit."

"And the tabby?" Cobrafang asked.

Shimmertail blinked and was quite for a moment, then mewed, "Ribbonkit."

Cobrafang purred and sat down behind her mate, studying his three perfect kittens with pride and amusement in his eyes. "Stonekit, Slatekit, and Ribbonkit. They will grow up to be strong and loyal kits… prodigies even."

Closing his eyes, he leaned down and nuzzled Shimmertail's soft cheek, the two parents purring in happiness. Cobrafang watched his only son clamber on top of his sisters, clearing the strongest out of the trio. The tabby, Ribbonkit, mewled in annoyance as her brother stepped on her head and blocked her off from reaching the queen's nurturing milk. Shimmertail giggled and pushed Stonekit away with her tail. "He's a bully," she purred quietly. "He takes after his father."

Cobrafang looked down at his mate, a glint of amusement in her eyes, and he briefly remembered when they were apprentices together. Cobrafang would always beat up the tabby she-cat. It seemed funny now that they were not only best friends, but also mates.

The two sat watching their kits for what seemed like hours, but probably wasn't _that _long. Eventually, Shimmertail fell asleep, exhaustion sweeping over her. Cobrafang smiled as she watched her, looking so peaceful. He found himself settling down next to her and resting his head on her neck, drifting off into the beckoning darkness as well.

* * *

"Mom! Mom! Wake up mama!"

* * *

The sharp mewl broke through Shimmertail's sweet dream as blinding sunlight filled the nursery. Yawning, she saw Stonekit sitting in front of her face, his leaf green eyes wide with excitement.

"Stonekit… what do you want, I told you not to wake me up like that… it's the fourth time in two days." The tan tabby queen flicked an ear and blinked the sleep out of her eyes.

The week-and-a-half old kit flattened his ears sheepishly, averting his gaze. "Sorry mama," he mewled, though he didn't sound to sorry. He immediately perked up. "But guess what! Dad says that today we're allowed out of the nursery and we can explore! He even said he'd show us around the camp and let us meet Everstar!" He bounced up and down, hardly able to control his excitement. "It's so exciting!"

"Oh did he?" Shimmertail asked, rather annoyed slightly that her mate didn't speak to her about this first. Then again, he was their father and should have _some_ say in it.

"Yes mama!" Ribbonkit squealed, bouncing into her mother's range of view and jumping on top of Stonekit.

"Gah! Ribbonkit!" the tom mewed, struggling under his sister.

_Guess he could consider that payback,_ Shimmertail thought in amusement, thinking about how Stonekit would always tussle with his sister shortly after they were born.

"Come on guys! Dad said he'd meet us by the Big Tree! Last one there is crow food!" Slatekit squeaked, surprising her siblings.

"I beat I'll beat all of you!" Stonekit boasted, strutting to the entrance of the nursery.

"Oh, you're so on!" Ribbonkit challenged. The two were about to bound out of the nursery, when Stonekit stopped and turned to look at his mother. "So can we go?" he pleaded, his grass colored eyes wide.

Shimmertail purred and nodded. "Yes, just be careful! And don't go around bugging the warriors or elders! Or anyone else for that matter!"

But the three had already bounded out before she could finish what she was saying.

Behind Shimmertail, Swanflight let out a laugh. "My, they seem like such pawfuls."

Shimmertail turned her head to look at the light gray queen. "Yes, and they're hardly two weeks old! This is going to last for six more moons," the queen added a groan, but she quite enjoyed being a mother.

Swanflight giggled. "I can't wait to have kits of my own."

"Snowstorm says it won't be much longer," Shimmertail reminded her, and Swanflight nodded slowly, her sky blue eyes glowing.

"I wonder why they call it the Big Tree. It can't be that amazing, can it?" Slatekit rambled as they dashed through the fern tunnel that was being built in front of the nursery.

"I dunno, but I can't wait!" Ribbonkit replied, her orange eyes sparkling with excitement.

The trio burst from the tunnel and skidded to a halt on their rears, gasping in awe in unison. "Woahhh…."

It was the most amazing thing they had even seen, though they hadn't seen much in their short lives. The camp was immense, shaded heavily by thick trees, with a light-filled clearing in the middle. And in the center of that clearing…

"Holy StarClan!" Stonekit exclaimed, rising to his paws and fluffing up his pelt. There it was, the Big Tree. Looking up, the mud colored tom didn't even think he could see the top, it just seemed like it descended into the sky forever. It was so much taller than the other trees surrounding the camp, way taller than the one the nursery was built into. It was bigger than anything the tom could've ever imagined.

"Well, well," came a voice that made the three of them jump. "Lookie here, EarthClan's three newest additions."

The kits turned to see two relatively small she-cats, though still bigger than them, looking at them.

Ribbonkit and Slatekit shrank back slightly, but Stonekit rose to his paws and stepped forward to greet them. "Hiya! The name's Stonekit, and these are my sisters, Ribbonkit and Slatekit! Who are you guys?"

The she-cats looked at each other, then the black one spoke first. "I'm Aurorapaw, and this here's my sister, Rainpaw."

Stonekit thought she had a sort of sassy, snarky tone of voice to her. He immediately could tell this was the one whose voice had startled them.

Rainpaw, a blue-gray tabby, lowered her head to Stonekit. "Well hey there! Nice to meet you! You three look like you'll make great warriors!"

Aurorapaw snorted and rolled her light blue eyes. "Oh please Rainpaw, these three don't look like they could scare off a cricket!"

Stonekit frowned at this comment and bounced around on his paws. "Hey! For your information, I've killed plenty of crickets in the nursery!"

Behind him, Ribbonkit and Slatekit looked at each other and backed up even more. "Oh, well _excuse me_ for offending you!" Aurorapaw snapped, taking a threatening step forward. "Think you could take on another cat? I bet those sisters of yours always beat you in your silly kit games!"

"A-Aurorapaw, be nice," Rainpaw mewed quietly at her sister, stepping back.

"Oh hush up, Rainpaw. This dumb kit thinks he's so smart? Clearly he needs to be taught a lesson!" Aurorapaw snarled, glaring at Stonekit.

"B-but he's only a ki " Aurorapaw cut her sister off by shoving her out of the way slightly and approached Stonekit, lowering her head to his level. "C'mon wimp. Take a swing at me."

"A-are you sure? What if I hurt you?" Stonekit mewled, shrinking down himself.

Aurorapaw guffawed. "Hurt _me?_ Oh please. C'mon, let's see what you got!"

"O-okay… but if I " the glare Aurorapaw gave him cut him off short, so he reached up a small paw, unsheathed his small but sharp claws, and swung at the older apprentice. But the black she-cat caught his swing with her paw and pushed his arm down, alternately making the kit fall onto his side. She then pinned him to the ground with a single toe and let out a cruel grin.

"Aurorapaw! Stop!" Rainpaw cried, wincing at Stonekit's distressed yowls.

Ribbonkit and Slatekit mewed and hoped around, trying to head butt Aurorapaw, but she fended them off with a quick swish of her tail as the two back-flipped onto the ground.

Stonekit cried out in agony. "Stooppp! Stoooopppp!" He flailed beneath her, but all in vain.

"Oh, poor, poor little kit. Maybe next time you'll think twice about mouthing off to me!" Aurorapaw snarled, her sky blue eyes narrowed to slits.

"Aurorapaw!"

The harsh call made the black apprentice flinch, and she turned to see Cobrafang storming toward her. "What do you think you're doing? Harassing a helpless kit?"

Aurorapaw shrank back under Cobrafang's glare as the dark gray tom charged up to her, and she lifted her paw, allowing Stonekit to spring free, panting heavily.

"I-I'm sorry Cobrafa " Aurorapaw started, but she was abruptly cut off by the tom's snort.

"Leave my kits alone. Why don't you make yourself useful and change the elder's bedding or something?"

Aurorapaw immediately changed her attitude and fluffed herself up. "You're not my mentor, or my father! You can't tell me what to do!"

Cobrafang narrowed his eyes. "Oh really? Well I expect Eclipsedfur would make you do something similar. Or… what about your father, Runningriver? What do you expect he'd think?" the warrior challenged, stepping toward her and towering over her.

Aurorapaw immediately opened her mouth to reply but must've thought better of it and clamped her jaws shut again. Lowering her head, she sulked off, looking over her shoulder and muttering "Whatever", before bounding through the low barrier of undergrowth and running off to gather bedding for the elders.

Cobrafang then rushed over to Stonekit, nuzzling his kit to his paws. "Are you okay Stonekit?" he asked worriedly, sniffing him all over and making sure he had no injuries.

"Yes Cobrafang, I think I'm alright," he mewled, clinging to his father's face.

Rainpaw stepped up to them and let out an apologetic mew. "I'm so sorry Uncle Cobrafang! I don't know what go into her, I tried to stop her but "

Cobrafang's deep purr cut her off. "It's alright dear, I understand. Aurorapaw can be very unpredictable. It's nothing you did, no need to be sorry," he told her, shaking Stonekit off and walking over to muzzle his niece's cheek.

Ribbonkit and Slatekit bounced up, and the three of them approached their father. "You mean Rainpaw and… Aurorapaw are our cousins?" Slatekit asked quietly.

Cobrafang smiled and nodded. "Yes, they are. Their father, Runningriver, is my brother, though it may not be easy to tell," he chuffed, looking from his kits back to Rainpaw. "Rainpaw, if you haven't anything to do, maybe you'd like to help me show Stonekit, Slatekit, and Ribbonkit around. It's their first day out of the nursery."

Rainpaw's eyes lit up. "Oh, I'd love to! Runningriver said he didn't have anything for me to do this morning, so that sounds like fun!"

"Yay! Yay!" All three kits mewed in unison, bouncing around their cousin, who smiled down at them warmly. "Let's not waste any time them, shall we?" Rainpaw mewed, giggling at the little kits, so happy and full of energy. She remembered when she and Aurorapaw had been kits. Her sister had been so different. She had absolutely no idea why the black she-cat had turned to be such a hardened soul now. It made her sad to think this, but there wasn't much she could do.

* * *

EarthClan's camp was divided into two rings, the Outer Ring, and the Inner Ring. The two rings are separated by a low wall of undergrowth.

The outer ring contained most of the dens, such as the nursery, the warriors' dens, and the apprentice den. It is the shadiest part of the whole camp; hardly any sunlight ever shines through because of the thick canopy of leaves above. The nursery, built into a hollow tree trunk, is located closest to the entrance of the camp, however, it is guarded by thick, bushy undergrowth and sturdy rocks. Located on the same side of the Outer Ring, though many fox lengths away from the nursery, is the apprentice den, which, in reality, is a large, roomy hollow rock covered with moss, the entrance concealed by ferns.

Rainpaw delighted in showing them the apprentice den, the place where they would be living in a few months. Stonekit bounded around in excitement, and kept on asking where the other apprentices were, for the den was empty.

Rainpaw sat down and curled her tail around her paws, purring in amusement. "They're probably out with their mentors training. The other apprentices like to train early on in the morning, that way they can get it out of the way and have the remainder of the day to do what they like." She giggled, flicking her ears. "Though sometimes it doesn't always work out that way. There are other things apprentices must do besides training, whether they like it or not."

Stonekit and his sisters sat in front of tabby she-cat, eyes wide in awe. "What else do apprentices do besides train, Rainpaw?" Ribbonkit asked enthusiastically.

Rainpaw opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when Cobrafang cleared his throat. "Ehm, if you don't mind, you four can talk about that later. Could we continue the tour?" he suggested, trying to hide an amused smile.

Rainpaw blinked and turned to face her uncle, flicking an ear. "Of course Cobrafang! My apologies."

The dark gray tom grinned and licked the apprentice between the ears. "No need to apologize my dear," he mewed softly, before straightening up and turning, signaling with his tail for them to follow.

On the other side of the ring are the numerous warrior dens, each den usually housing anywhere from two to three cats. The dens are rather large, built from large bushes with thick cover, though they are hollow and roomy on the inside; sort of like weeping willows, except the leaves and branches reach all the way to the ground and are much fuller, and the plants themselves are of course, smaller. In all, there are six dens, spaced equally apart with a few fox lengths between them. However, two of the dens remain empty, and for now, are used for storing fresh-kill and the like.

Cobrafang showed the kits his den, the one he shared with Shypebble the deputy and Shimmertail, before she was put in the nursery. His den was the one farthest from the entrance, all the way to the back, and the kits thought it seemed rather cozy and comfortable.

Next to Cobrafang's den was Morningdew, Runningriver, and Whisperheart's den, next to that resided Leafclaw, Swanflight before she was placed in the nursery, and Eclipsedfur. The two empty dens stood next to each other, standing between Leafclaw's den and the den shared by Crystaleyes and Radiantfur, all the way on the end.

* * *

Leaping over the short undergrowth barrier, Cobrafang let his dark fur soak up the faint sunlight shimmering through the gaps between the leaves. The kits had trouble clambering over the barrier, for, while it was small, it was still too big for cats of their size to easily jump.

By the time they were clear on the other side of it, Slatekit had leaves sticking to her fur, Ribbonkit had dirt caked in her face, and Stonekit had small twigs wound in his fur. Cobrafang grinned and Rainpaw guffawed in amusement. "Come on, let's continue," Cobrafang laughed, and Stonekit pouted, unamused by this. He hoped he wouldn't be meeting the leader like this.

The first place they went to was the Big Tree. It was so much bigger in person, when you were standing right below it. "Wow! This is incredible!" Ribbonkit mewed, awestruck, staring up at the tree. Stonekit thought he was going to get dizzy from trying to find the top of it, but he tilted his head skyward until his neck hurt.

"So Cobrafang, what exactly is the Big Tree for?" asked Slatekit, looking at her father with wide steel blue eyes.

"Well, this is where Everstar addresses the Clan, you know, calls together meetings and what not. You see that thick, low branch up there? The one lowest to the ground, yet still many fox lengths up? That's where she stands to talk." Cobrafang explained to them.

Stonekit blinked, and then asked, "Well, where does Everstar sleep?"

"She sleeps in the tree, way high up. There's a thick clump of leaves and branches where she rests" Rainpaw piped happily.

"Wow! How does she get up there?" Ribbonkit mewled.

"She climbs the tree! All EarthClan cats are taught how to climb trees," Rainpaw replied, flicking her tail.

"The medicine cat's den is also up in the Big Tree, though it is much closer to the ground than the leader's den," Cobrafang added, glancing upwards, as if he was trying to spot Everstar or Snowstorm.

Looking around, the kits saw many of the other warriors gathered around the clearing, eating fresh-kill and talking happily. Stonekit smiled at this sight. He was a part of all this now, and he would be for many years to come, hopefully.

"The elders' den is over here," Cobrafang interrupted his thoughts, leading the four over to a huge fallen tree trunk covering most of the opening to a whole in the ground. "It's a huge underground den, though you probably wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at it."

"Who lives in there?" Stonekit asked curiously.

"We have two elders, Whiteberry and Treeheart, they're mates," Rainpaw answered, silently wondering if Aurorapaw had really done what she was told and changed out their bedding.

Her question was answered when she spotted the small black she-cat clamber out of the den with a clump of old, smelly moss in her jaws. She glared at the group, her gaze hanging on Stonekit the longest, before silently padding off.

* * *

The five of them returned to the nursery, Stonekit and his sisters somewhat upset they didn't get to meet any of the other cats or the leader herself.

"It's alright, after you take a nap and your mother grooms you so that you're presentable, you can meet Everstar," their father told him.

"Do we get to climb up the Big Tree?" Slatekit asked excitedly.

Cobrafang purred. "No, I'm afraid you're too young for that. Some day, you will be able to."

"But dad, we're too old for naps!" Stonekit complained, already stifling a yawn.

Rainpaw laughed and nudged him with her tail. "Trust me, you're never too old for naps." Leaning down, she whispering in his ear. "Between you and me, I sometimes wish that I was still a kit and I could sleep in the nursery all day!"

Stonekit giggled as Rainpaw pulled away. "Really?" he asked, smiling.

Rainpaw nodded. "Yes, really!"

Cobrafang smiled at them. "Off you go then."

Stonekit, Slatekit, and Ribbonkit began padding down the tunnel, when suddenly, there was a loud cry, and the fur of all five cats stood on end.

Shypebble leaped over the barrier, eyes wide in fear. "What is it Shypebble?" Cobrafang asked, flicking his tail."

"I-it's FireClan! They're attacking!"

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN! *plays dramatic moosic*. That, my friend, is what you'd call a cliffhanger. Nice right? *Still hasn't gotten her bottle of water***

**So yea... dramatic turn of events. And wanna know what's even more dramatic? YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO WAIT A WHILE UNTIL THIS CHAPTER CONTINUES! **

**Why? Cos I'm got back to every Clan and introduce all of the kits who play an important role in the story. And I just realized something, you probably don't even know the gist of this story, do you?**

**Okay, so it's about four kits, one from each Clan, who find out that they-**

**Wait... I don't want to spoil it for you, do I? NO! I don't! So there...**

**Oh, and for the record, each chapter, until all the charries meet up, with have a two letter acryonym next to their name in the chapter navigation drop down menu thingy mabob, either AC, EC, WC, or FC, standing for AirClan, EarthClan, WaterClan, or FireClan. That way you shouldn't get confused xDD... so yeah. Think I'm done with this pointless author's note. Till next time, later!**

**Please review! I love feedback, positive or negative! ^^**

**~Max**


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